


Millicent

by madridistagoblue



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Lives, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Child Abuse, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Multiple, Time Skips, Verbal Abuse, Young Armitage Hux, referenced animal death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25274767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madridistagoblue/pseuds/madridistagoblue
Summary: When Armitage Hux receives a scrawny, cowardly cat as a gift from Grand Admiral Sloane, he hates it. He doesn't even know if he'll be able to keep the creature alive. Years later, Poe must help Hux grieve the loss of one of the few creatures who ever loved and protected him.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58
Collections: Gingerpilot Week 2020





	Millicent

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Gingerpilot Week 2020  
> Day 3: Angst

“Grand Admiral. You wished to speak?”

Armitage Hux stood at attention in front of Grand Admiral Sloane’s personal desk. It was not the first time he’d been in her private quarters, but he was nonetheless awestruck by the spacious room with its towering shelves of weaponry and artifacts dating back to the beginning of the Empire. The viewport window behind the Grand Admiral stretched the full length of one wall, providing a natural glow to the otherwise dim, grey-walled room. The light of a nearby nebula cast a colorful reflection on the Grand Admiral’s dark skin, illuminating her smile as she motioned for Armitage to stand at ease.

“I have a gift for you, Armitage.”

“Whatever for?” he asked, as she bent down, retrieving something from under the table.

“Must there always be a reason, with you?” A strange whimper could be heard as she picked up the gift in question. Armitage’s eyebrows furrowed. Was it a living thing?

The Grand Admiral sat up, revealing something small, hairy -- and most certainly alive -- clutched between her arms. She placed it gently on the table.

“This stray kitten wouldn’t stop following me around on a recent assignment. I had to feed it and take it with me to keep it from revealing my position. Shooting it would have caused too much ruckus with the locals. But, as it is, I kind of like her. I think she could use a home.”

Armitage looked down at the kitten as it unraveled from the fluffy, orange ball on the desk into a thin, clawed creature with a long tail, pointed ears, and narrow green eyes that seemed to inspect him in return. He reached out a hand to touch her but pulled away when greeted with sharp fangs and an angry screech. He took a few steps back.

Seemingly pleased with his deference to her, the kitten leaped off the table and walked over to him, encircling his legs. He reached towards her again, but she darted away.  
  
“This is what wouldn’t stop following you?” Armitage questioned, gesturing at the frightened cat.  
  
The Grand Admiral shrugged. “It might take her a while to warm up to you. But she will.”  
  
Armitage inhaled deeply, trying to suppress his frustration. The Grand Admiral was one of the few officers to have shown him generosity over the years; it wouldn’t do to reject her gift. After all, she had taught him how to shoot a blaster, ensured he was given the highest level of education, and, most importantly, kept his father somewhat off his back – literally and figuratively. He would accept any token of her appreciation, even if this latest offering seemed misguided at best.

The kitten was a sickly-looking thing: gangly, with matted fur, and cowardly to boot. Perhaps the Grand Admiral had thought of Armitage because of the creature’s orange fur and green eyes. Too bad the kitten also matched Armitage’s other physical traits that had him branded as week and pathetic. He had a strong urge to kick out his foot and see if the creature could dodge a simple blow. But he refrained. The Grand Admiral had affection for it. Perhaps she’d take it back when she saw that this was a failed experiment.

Armitage reached out for her again, this time encircling her with both his arms so that she couldn’t escape, and wrangled her against his chest. She lashed out with her paw, her sharp claws leaving two blood-red scratches on his right arm. He let out a cry from the sudden pain but bit his lip and kept hold of the kitten for fear of cowering in the presence of a superior officer.

“Your thoughtfulness is appreciated, Grand Admiral.”

Grand Admiral Slone shook her head, a small chuckle escaping her smiling lips as little more than a huff of air. “I can hear your sarcasm from a parsec away, Armitage. But I think she’ll grow on you. I’ll have some appropriate food delivered to your quarters so that you can feed her.”

Armitage nodded, still befuddled by the Grand Admiral’s decision, but not keen to question it further. “May I be dismissed?” he asked, looking down at the tawdry creature still squirming in his hands. It was difficult to hold the creature steady when it was so restless, without applying more pressure than its small body could likely take.

“Yes. You are dismissed.”

The minute Armitage returned to his quarters he loosened his grip allowing the kitten to leap onto the floor with surprising agility. It scurried around the room, eventually taking residence underneath the bed. Good. They’d both be satisfied that way. The kitten could be a coward, and Armitage would have it out of sight. He collected his datapad off his desk and walked over to the bed, lying down on top of the bedsheets to do some light reading. Fortunately, it didn’t alarm the kitten, who remained underneath.

Armitage sighed. If the thing wouldn’t come out from under the bed, how was he ever supposed to feed it? The Grand Admiral would be undertaking a mission next week – leaving him alone with the kitten with no hope of returning it until she came back. He’d have to somehow keep it alive at least until then. Or, if it died of starvation, perhaps he could pass it off as a tragedy of the creature’s poor health? It looked malnourished as it was.

Sadly, though, the kitten was the least of Armitage’s worries during the Grand Admiral’s departure. It was she who kept his father in line. With her gone, so were her threats.

Two days later, Armitage was happy to say that the kitten would occasionally go to its bowl and eat. It should stay alive, at the very least. But she hadn’t become any more friendly towards him and was difficult to discipline when it came to scratching objects in his room or using the litter box as prescribed. The sooner he could be rid of the damned thing the better. He had managed to get her off his bed when the door to his quarters opened with a swoosh.

His father.

“I hear Sloane gave you a present. It’s kind of her to take pity on you.”

Armitage turned, his body snapping to attention. “Father…. Is there something you need?”

His father ignored him, surveying the room. When he saw the kitten, he pointed with a dry smile. “Ah, is that it? How cute; it looks like you. Just as scrawny…” he moved in the kitten’s direction, but she immediately scurried under the bed. “Ah, and just as cowardly too.” 

Armitage gritted his teeth. Just as he expected. Why would the Grand Admiral give him such a difficult, weak, pathetic creature as a gift? Why would she give him something so reminiscent of all his shortcomings? Something that would sink in fear just as quickly as Armitage would at the horrid man in front of him?  
  
His father moved out of the entryway and into Armitage’s quarters. Even from a distance, Armitage could smell alcohol on his breath.  
  
“Is there something you want, father?” 

“Only to see what the gift was. I doubt you can even keep it alive for long, though.” 

His father walked closer, and Armitage found himself instinctively backing away. His knees hit the bed, legs trembling. His hands balled into tight fists at his side. He breathed in deeply, bracing himself for the worst.  
  
That’s when the kitten leapt out from underneath the bed. 

With amazing speed, she jumped onto his father’s chest, causing him to stumble backwards in shock. She fell to the ground and slashed at both of his legs, tearing his uniform pants, and leaving marks on his skin. When he bent down to push her away, she bit his finger. His father cried out in pain. Instinctively, his hand reached for his weapon.

“The Admiral will censure you,” Armitage warned.

For once recognizing the truth of his Armitage’s statement, his father stood down. “You need to learn to control this kriffing beast!” he shouted at Armitage, but he didn’t dare move closer, as the kitten hissed at him, forming a small but substantial wall between Armitage and his father. With that, his father turned and walked away.

When the door to his quarters closed, Armitage fell onto his bed, heart racing. He inhaled slowly, trying to catch his breath. The events of just a moment ago flashed through his mind. Why had the kitten come to his rescue? It didn’t make any sense. Sure, he put out a bowl of food for her, but he was quite sure that she knew he resented her. She was still standing attentively in the direction of the door, perhaps waiting to see if his father would come back. With a heavy sigh, Armitage pushed himself off the bed, walked over to the kitten, and knelt.  
  
“Why did you help me?” he asked. Which was absurd. As if the kitten could reply! But for once, it didn’t run away. He held out his hand and she came forward. Slowly, Armitage placed a hand on her back and pet her fur. She purred happily in response and licked at his leg.  
  
He studied her again, seeing her small body and unkempt orange coat in a different light. “Did someone treat you like that?” he asked. Her purring was hardly an answer, but, somehow, it felt like one to Armitage.  
  
“Don’t worry. No one’s going to treat you like that again. You’re safe here…Millicent.”

* * *

“Poe!”

“Rose?” Poe turned around, searching for the source of the voice in the open air. When he locked eyes on her, he smiled. “Rose!”

He hadn’t had much time to catch up with his friends in the past few weeks. As a General of the Resistance, found himself inundated with holograms from local politicians, clamoring to gain something from the armistice. If only they’d paid the Resistance any mind during the war, and not declared their support when it had ended.

“What’s going on?” Poe asked, happy to get a moment’s pause.

“I’m really sorry to bother you. I know you probably have a lot going on with the peace accords and monitoring General Hux’s arrest.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Poe replied with a trademark smirk, “Working hard…or hardly working…it’s all the same.”  
  
“I’m not sure if you know this,” Rose said, “but Suralinda from your squadron took in a stray cat last week.”  
  
“Why am I not surprised?” Suralinda frequently acted on a whim, especially when she had nothing else to do.  
  
“It’s not a loth cat,” Rose explained, “It’s something from the outer rim. A bit more plain and skinny.”  
  
“And I take it she lost it?”  
  
Rose nodded, shrugging her shoulders. “I told her I’d ask around. So…if you see it.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for it then. Thanks for letting me know.” Poe hoped for Suralinda’s sake that the cat actually realized it had been taken in and hadn’t unsuspectingly wandered away. There was really no telling. But a promise was a promise, and he would keep his eye out. He’d always look out for Black Squadron -- in peace as much as war.  
  
“Hey…Poe?” Rose’s voice had become quieter, and her hand unconsciously clutched at her haysian smelt necklace.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“How’s it going…having Hux at your place? 

“Don’t worry about me.” Poe gave her a reassuring clap on the shoulder. “We get along better than I would’ve thought. He’s a bit difficult to get through to at times. Pretty stubborn.”

“A perfect match, then.” Rose smiled weakly.  
  
“Ow!” Poe mimicked receiving a blaster shot to the heart, causing the tension to evaporate from Rose completely as she burst into a hearty laugh. “Got me there!”

“Just take care, ok?” she said, giving Poe a parting wave.

“You too.” He watched as Rose turned and walked away. He probably should be getting home as well. The blue sky was beginning to disperse into the purple and pink hues of the suns’ set.

When he arrived back at his own quarters – a small outpost cabin that had been set aside for Poe and his work – he was surprised to see Hux outside, kneeling down in the grassy space that could, perhaps, be called a front yard.

The brown and grey BB units which monitored Hux’s house arrest swirled around, bobbing their heads at one another, and beeping incessantly. It wasn’t often that Hux took full advantage of the small outdoor perimeter he was allowed to walk. The droids were probably worried that he was planning to escape somehow.  
  
What was even stranger, though, is that there was a small creature standing next to Hux. From a distance, Poe couldn’t make it out, but once he moved closer, the silhouette became clear. It was a cat. Just like Rose had described, it was skinnier than a loth cat, with a simple orange coat. This must have been the lost pet Suralinda was looking for.  
  
“Hey, Hux! What have you found there?” Poe walked over to his new housemate and knelt to meet his level.  
  
“Just a cat,” Hux replied, in a voice calmer than usual. “It doesn’t have a collar. It might be wild or a stray.”  
  
“Actually…I think it belongs to someone on my squadron.” Poe let out a sigh of relief. At least it had been easy to find. “She took in a stray and then said she lost it a week later.”  
  
“I see.…” was all Hux said.

Poe watched as Hux gently stroked the cat’s fur. He petted the crown of her head, drawing the cat nearer to him. When it began to rub affectionately against his leg, Hux switched to the neck -- timidly at first. But when the cat purred, he scratched harder.

“I didn’t know you liked pets,” Poe said. It was kind of a stupid statement, but what else was he supposed to say? The entire image in front of him stood in the face of everything he thought of when he imagined General Hux – even since getting to know him. He was stern, stubborn, and easily flustered. He had a commanding presence and avoided showing signs of weakness, though his emotions sometimes betrayed him. He was patient but ruthless; ready to do anything to obtain a goal. So, to see him humble himself before another creature, caressing it with gentle kindness, was something new. A good kind of new.

“I had a cat, actually,” Hux said, taking his eyes off the cat for a moment to look at Poe. Poe’s breathing quickened when he noticed Hux’s bloodshot eyes and the small trail of tears streaking down his cheek. Perhaps realizing his mistake, Hux looked down.  
  
“Oh yeah?” Poe asked. He reached out a hand to pet the cat’s back. It continued purring happily. “Tell me about her.”

“Her name was Millicent. She looked very similar to this cat, but her eyes were green.”

“So, she looked like you.”

Hux smiled. “Yes. She was a bit frail, but very prideful. Not a creature to be underestimated.”

“So, literally, like you.”

Poe waited for Hux to continue, but he fell quiet again. Poe took a deep breath. Maybe the next thing he was about to say was a bad idea…but when had that ever stopped him?

“Did she…” Poe couldn’t even form the words. “…in the battle?”

Hux shook his head. “No. She was given to me when I was a child, so she was quite old. She went peacefully in her sleep, just before the destruction of the Finalizer. I’m grateful for that.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Poe said, hoping to receive some acknowledgement from Hux. Hux remained still and silent.

Eventually, Hux moved his hand away, causing the cat to whimper. It rubbed its head against Hux’s leg, but Hux made no more motion to play with it. “We should return her to her owner,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, but subtly wiping away his tears.

Something about it made Poe feel uneasy. Why should Hux feel so ashamed of crying, when it was only natural to grieve the loss of someone important to you? Had he even cried when it happened? Or had he tried to remain the model of a cool, unshakable First Order General?

“Did you ever get a chance to mourn?” Poe scolded himself mentally for the question. This was eventually going to go too far and Hux would grow annoyed and stop opening up to Poe entirely. Fortunately, though, Hux’s eyes narrowed and his expression grew firm as he seemed to consider the question.

“I’m not sure what you mean. It was years ago now. I apologize if I seem sensitive. This brought back memories, is all. I really should be over it.”

“That’s nonsense.” Poe didn’t expect Hux’s eyes to grow so wide when he said it. Pressing his luck further, he continued: “You don’t just stop grieving. My mother died when I was a kid, and I still grieve. I still cry.”  
  
“You don’t see any fault, in the inability to let go of the pain?”

Poe rolled his eyes. Damn whoever raised this guy! “Look, I’ve lost a lot of people and things in my life. And I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff too. But the pain? It just reminds me what I’m fighting for. The failures? Those remind me who I want to become. The point isn’t to let go of it. It’s just to move on with it. But that won’t happen if you don’t acknowledge that it’s even there.”

Poe reached over and picked up Suralinda’s cat. It mowed gruffly, reaching for Hux, but mellowed as Poe stood up. Hux stood up as well, forcing Poe to look up to meet his eyes.

“Did you have a funeral or anything? For Millicent?”

“I had planned to. But, as I said, the ship was destroyed not long after it happened.” Hux kept a strong face, but his eyes were beginning to waver. As sunlight fell to the horizon, a glow illuminated Hux’s face. Without thinking much of it, Poe reached out with one hand – still holding the cat in his other arm – and clasped it around Hux’s hand. Tears formed in Hux’s eyes.  
  
“Why don’t we hold one, then? Just…in the yard or something? You could tell a story about her? I could say a prayer, if you want – but that’s up to you. I think she deserves to be remembered. Don’t you?”

Hux looked off to the horizon, watching as the last bit of light filled the night sky. Poe was still holding his hand. Hux didn’t acknowledge it, but he didn’t move, either. Poe couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he was likely remembering something from long ago. 

“Yes…” Hux said softly. “I’d like that very much.”


End file.
